Mechanisms of Everyday Cognition

Based on the proceedings of the twelfth biennial conference on life-span developmental psychology, most of the contributions in this volume deal with the mechanisms of everyday cognition. However, a broad spectrum of additional concerns is addressed within the domain of everyday cognition: its metatheoretical underpinnings, theory and theoretical issues, methods of investigation, empirical considerations, and social issues and applications.

Addressing everyday cognition in infancy, childhood, adolescence, young and middle adulthood, and old age, this book is consistent with the chronological life-span theme of this series. The contributors collectively discuss some of the traditional concerns of life-span psychology: the dialectical nature of everyday cognition, individual differences, and contextual influences. Leading and concluding chapters provide overview, integration, and summary. In bringing together a wide array of age periods and points of view within the domain of everyday cognition, the editors hope that students and researchers in developmental psychology and cognitive science will find a useful cross-fertilization of ideas.

A huge variety of theoretical perspectives is presented ranging from the position that everyday cognition and academic (laboratory) cognition are different manifestations of the same underlying processes to the position that the underlying processes are completely separate. Also of importance, a large assortment of research methods is illustrated including interviews, laboratory simulations, real-life observations and psychometric methods.

Contents: Preface. Part I: Introduction and Overview.J.M. Puckett, H.W. Reese, L.K. Pollina, An Integration of Life-Span Research in Everyday Cognition: Four Issues. Part II: Taxonomy and Methodology in Everyday Cognition.L.W. Poon, D.J. Welke, W.N. Dudley, What Is Everyday Cognition? S.L. Willis, K.W. Schaie, Everyday Cognition: Taxonomic and Methodological Considerations. E. Winograd, Memory in the Laboratory and Everyday Memory: The Case for Both. Part III: Theory and Metatheory for Life-Span Everyday Cognition.J.D. Sinnott, Yes, It's Worth the Trouble! Unique Contributions From Everyday Cognitive Studies. M. Chapman, Everyday Reasoning and the Revision of Belief. Part IV: Everyday Cognition Across the Life Span.S.J. Ceci, H. Hembrooke, The Contextual Nature of Earliest Memories. J. Walters, T. Blythe, N. White, PIFS: Everyday Cognition Goes to School. A.W. Siegal, P. Cuccaro, J.T. Parsons, J. Wall, A.D. Weinberg, Adolescents' Thinking About Emotions and Risk-Taking. J.W. Schooler, E.F. Loftus, Multiple Mechanisms Mediate Individual Differences in Eyewitness Accuracy and Suggestibility. R.J. Sternberg, R.K. Wagner, L. Okagaki, Practical Intelligence: The Nature and Role of Tacit Knowledge in Work and at School. Part V: Summary and Integration.J.M. Puckett, L.K. Pollina, J.S. Laipple, R.H. Tunick, F.H. Jurden, A Survey of Research in Everyday Cognition: Ten Views.